Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A With 16MP Front Camera, MIUI 9 Launched

Highlights

The new smartphone is available in three variants

First Redmi phone to have 16MP front camera

Also comes with the updated MIUI 9 OS

Xiaomi has introduced the Note 4’s successor, the Redmi Note 5A, the first Note 5 series smartphone from the Chinese phone maker. There are two models, the Standard Edition and High Edition which are available three variants.

The base version is offered with 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage while the mid trim is available with 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage. The top-spec variant is offered with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. All variants have gone on sale through the company’s official website, Mi.com as well as JD.com, one of the most popular Chinese e-commerce portals. The three variants are priced at CNY 699 (~Rs 6,700), CNY 899 (~Rs 8,600) and CNY 1,199 (~Rs 11,500).

The mid-range, as well as the top-of-the-line variants, are available with a rear fingerprint scanner. Some of the premium smartphones offered right now come with a fingerprint scanner integrated into the home button, however, there are users who would find the rear placement of the scanner easier to use. The party trick for the Redmi Note 5A has to be the 16MP front camera with soft flash which is available in the higher variants only. Considering the price tag, the Redmi Note 5A 4GB RAM/64 GB internal storage carries, it is quite a deal.

Another standout feature of the Xiaomi Redmi 5A is the presence of two sim card slots, but, with an additional slot for the microSD card. This card can expand the memory by up to 128GB. In terms of performance, the Redmi Note 5A sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425 SoC processor with an Adreno 308 GPU. It packs a 3,080mAh battery which is claimed to offer 35 hours of call time and 11 days of standby time.

A rear camera is a 13MP unit with LED flash and an aperture of f/2.2. It also has features such as HDR, PDAF as well as real-time filters. The lower version sports a 5MP front camera instead of the impressive 16MP one. The latter is available only in the higher versions.

Connectivity options for all trims include 4G, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and GPS + GLONASS. Sensors also include an infrared blaster which means that you can use the Redmi Note 5A as a remote for your various electronic items around the house. That’s apart from the accelerometer, gyro, ambient light, acceleration and compass.

Like the Note 4, the Redmi Note 5A is bound to be a success story. That’s because of the value-for-money offering with a host of storage and speed options. This phone would also clock a huge number of sales considering the Redmi Note 4 has sold over 5 million units in just six months of its launch.